1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for dilation of the cervix and particularly to such devices for dilation which do not require surgical procedures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dilation of the cervix is an extremely common gynecological procedure which is performed for several diagnostic and therapeutic indications. The cervix can be dilated rapidly, in seconds or a few minutes, or gradually over a period of hours, up to 24 hours. Rapid dilation is a surgical procedure and metal or plastic dilator rods of increasing diameter are used to dilate the cervix. This procedure is painful and requires local or general anesthesia. The metal dilators can cause trauma to the cervix resulting in short and long-term adverse side-effects.
Slow dilation can be performed by introducing laminaria tents, made of seaweed, into the cervical canal. These tents gradually swell up resulting in an adequate dilation of the cervix in approximately 24 hours. The introduction of the tent only causes minimal discomfort to the patient and, therefore, does not require local or general anesthesia. Conventional laminaria dilators are furnished in various diameters for the physician to select based on the size of the internal os of the cervix and on the desired final diameter of dilation. Since the process of dilation is so gradual, the possibility of traumatizing the cervix is minimal and there are no associated long-term side-effects. However, the laminaria tents now available are very expensive and are not easily available in the developing countries.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a tent-type osmotic cervical dilator which is inexpensive to manufacture and which would, therefore, be available to the developing countries at minimal cost.